Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Jun 2012
Effect of early life housing manipulation on baseline and drug-induced behavioural responses on neurochemistry in the male rat.
Employing environmental enrichment (EE) provides continual sources of dynamic interaction for animals. Though an established discipline in behavioural science, the consequences of EE on behavioural pharmacological tests have not been extensively examined. The purpose of this study was to examine the consequences of EE (or isolation housing) on a range of behavioural pharmacological tests and brain monoamine and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the rat. ⋯ DMI reduced immobility time in the FST, but only for rats housed in IC, while AMP effects were somewhat greater for socially-housed animals than those in IC. There were no housing effects on monoamine or BDNF levels in discreet brain regions. The results suggest that post-weaning enrichment had no significant effect on baseline behaviours or monoamine and BDNF levels, thus it is suitable to implement as a commonplace husbandry practice, however, caution must be taken when investigating responsiveness to psychotropic drugs.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Apr 2012
Comparative StudyAgmatine, an endogenous ligand of imidazoline receptor protects against memory impairment and biochemical alterations in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
Agmatine, a polycationic amine synthesized via decarboxylation of l-arginine by arginine decarboxylase is reported to exhibit anti-hyperglycemic, antioxidant and memory enhancing effects. Therefore, we tested its influence against cognitive dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats using Morris water maze and object recognition paradigm. Lipid peroxidation and glutathione levels as parameters of oxidative stress and choline esterase (ChE) activity as a marker of cholinergic function were assessed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. ⋯ In a separate set, agmatine treatment for an initial 15 days after diabetes confirmation also significantly reduced memory impairment during training trials after 30 days of diabetes confirmation. Moreover, treatment during training trials (30 days after diabetes) also significantly reduced memory impairment in diabetic rats. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that treatment with agmatine prevents changes in oxidative stress and ChE activity, and probably consequent memory impairment in diabetic rats.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Mar 2012
Genetic epistasis between the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and the 5-HTT promoter polymorphism moderates the susceptibility to depressive disorders after childhood abuse.
Based on biological interactions between the serotonergic system and the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), BDNF is a plausible candidate for a gene-gene-environment interaction moderating the interaction between the s/l- promoter polymorphism of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) and childhood abuse. We tested the hypothesis of a three-way interaction with respect to depressive symptoms. ⋯ Our results point to a gene-gene-environment interaction that relevantly impacts on the role of the s/s genotype of the 5-HTTLPR in childhood abuse: Depending on the BDNF background (Val/Val versus Met allele) the s/s genotype showed either protective or risk properties with regard to depressive symptoms.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Mar 2012
Multicenter Study Clinical TrialLong-term efficacy and safety of gabapentin enacarbil in Japanese restless legs syndrome patients.
Several short- and long-term studies conducted in Europe/North America have demonstrated good efficacy and tolerability of 600-1800 mg gabapentin enacarbil (GEn). However, no studies have evaluated the efficacy of long-term treatment with GEn in Asian patients. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of long-term treatment with GEn in Japanese patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) in a multicenter open-label study. ⋯ No episodes of augmentation were reported. In conclusion, long-term treatment with GEn improved RLS symptoms as well as investigator- and patient-reported outcomes in Japanese patients with moderate-to-severe RLS, with an acceptable safety profile. Randomized, double-blind, placebo/active-controlled trials are desirable to confirm these preliminary results.
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Prog. Neuropsychopharmacol. Biol. Psychiatry · Mar 2012
Salivary alpha-amylase and cortisol responsiveness following electrical stimulation stress in major depressive disorder patients.
Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often associated with dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis by chronic stress. In comparison, psychosocial stress-induced activation of salivary α-amylase (sAA) functions as a marker of sympathoadrenal medullary system (SAM) activity. However, in contrast to salivary cortisol, sAA has been less extensively studied in MDD patients. ⋯ In the present study only three time points were explored. Furthermore, the increased secretion of sAA before and after stimulation could allude to an increased responsiveness of novel and uncontrollable situations in patients with MDD. These preliminary results suggest that sAA might be a useful biological marker of MDD.